UPDATE: Primary turnout varies throughout state

County election commissions across South Carolina have reported varying degrees of turnout throughout the day, according to a release from the South Carolina State Election Commission.

Jasper County reported “light” turnout about 3:30 p.m.

Chris Whitmire, of the state commission, said Beaufort County's election commission reported steady turnout all day. Beaufort County was not included in the original report. Whitemire said the anecdotal reports indicated a higher pace for voting than in 2008.

According to information from the State Election Commission,Beaufort County has a just over 100,000 registered voters for the 2012 elections. Most are over 45 years old.

In 2008, about 25 percent of the 79,000 registered voters in Beaufort County voted in the Republican Presidential Primary, according to records from the South Carolina State Election Commission.

According to the American Research Group, a polling organization, Newt Gingrich was ahead in the state when the survey was done on Thursday and Friday. According to the poll, Gingrich lead the primary with 40 percent, followed by Mitt Romney with 26 percent, Ron Paul with 18 percent and Rick Santorum with 13 percent.

Bluffton resident Sarah Brich said she saw a steady stream of people when she went to vote this afternoon. Brich said she voted for Ron Paul.

"I like a lot of his ideas," she said. "I like his voting record. I feel that it's been pretty consistent, and I feel that he has America's best interests. And I was excited to vote today."

The Associated Press reports that early results of the exit polls suggest the economy is the number one issue for voters when picking a Republican candidate. About one-third of those polled Saturday said someone in their household had been laid off in the past three years.

The poll also showed that a solid majority of the voters in Saturday's election consider themselves conservative and about the same number support the TEA Party. More than half say they are born again or evangelical Christians.